The invention relates to a pouring element for a package for holding flowable or pourable products, and particularly a cardboard/plastics composite package having a gabletop, said pouring element having a pouring passage, the pouring passage having passage cross-sections of substantially identical areas arranged perpendicularly to its centreline, the outer passage cross-sections of the pouring passage being a product inlet opening and a substantially circular product outlet opening and the product outlet opening having associated with it a flange for connection to the package. The invention further relates to a method of applying a pouring element having a flange to a package, preferably a flat-gabletop package, for receiving flowable products, which package has an opening.
Pouring elements of the abovementioned kind are already known from practice and are cylindrical in form. Because of this cylindrical configuration, it is easy for a re-closable screwed closure or the like to be provided at one end of the pouring element. The opposite end of the pouring element has in this case a flange which projects outwards radially in an annular shape. The pouring element is connected to the interior of the pack with a fluid-tight seal by means of this flange. To ensure that there is a secure connection, it is necessary for a comparatively wide flange to be provided.
Pouring elements of this kind are provided in particular on gabletop packages. These also include composite flat-gabletop packages which have long been known and which are very often used for packing liquid foodstuffs such as milk, juice and the like. As a rule, composite flat-gabletop packages are cuboid in shape and have a folded top seam which extends across the top of the package and is fastened by its ends to two opposite side-faces of the package.
As well as this, there are also other types of gabletop packages. One type is likewise composed of a composite material and has a gabletop which, when the package is in an upright position, extends upwards and which has two gabletop portions (inclined gable panels) which are inclined towards one another and which are separated by the top seam.
Known from EP 1 088 770 A1 is a pouring element of the generic kind for a cardboard beverage package such as is usually employed for milk, juices, etc. The pouring element has in this case a pouring passage which tapers slightly but otherwise has substantially identical cross-sectional areas arranged perpendicularly to its centreline. The outer passage cross-sections in the pouring element form a product inlet opening and a substantially circular product outlet opening, the product inlet opening having associated with it a flange for connection to the package.
DE 24 17 387 A1 on the other hand discloses a pouring device for a container which is assembled from two half-shells, the pouring device being inserted between the half-shells, which are in the form of sheet-metal or plate bodies, and being fastened thereto. For this purpose, the pouring device has, as well as an opening neck of cylindrical cross-section, an attaching member of boot-shaped cross-section at the container end, the free cross-section of the opening neck being far smaller than the free cross-section of the attaching member for the through-flow of flowable or pourable product. The pouring properties of the known pouring device are limited for this reason.
Also known, from U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,434, is a pouring element of cylindrical cross-section which has, at its package end, two flanges, thus enabling the pouring element to be sealed both to the inside and the outside of the package.
The lid for a drinking cup for children which is known from WO 03/030695 A1 comprises a pouring element which is produced in one piece with the lid. The free cross-sections of the passage through the pouring element taper from the product inlet opening to the product outlet opening, which latter is present simply in the form of a plurality of small holes. This is intended to stop product from escaping when there is not a reduced pressure applied by sucking on the pouring element.
A pouring element for a folding box made of cardboard having an inner bag arranged therein is described in, for example, DE 4 026 562 A1. The pouring element is welded to the inner bag, which in turn is bonded to the package from inside. The pouring passage in the known pouring element tapers in this case from the product inlet opening to the product outlet opening.
It is a disadvantage of the pouring element of the generic kind that, with a given right-angled portion of the gabletop, the maximum diameter of the pouring passage is fixed by the length of the shorter side of the gabletop portion and of the minimum width required for the flange. Hence, only relatively narrow pouring passages can be produced, in which the pouring speed is reduced and pouring is made more difficult. This is particularly true when flat-gabletop packages are used, because gabletop portions arranged at a slope have a larger area for the application of the pouring elements.
It should be pointed out in this connection that it is true, particularly with flat-gabletop composite packages, that the gabletop portion, and hence the permitted diameter, can be enlarged by moving the top seam to one side of the main body. However there is a price that has to be paid for this, which is a considerable increase in the complicatedness of production when the package itself is being produced. The fact is that, basically, the dimensions of a gabletop portion are hardly a matter of free choice but are substantially fixed by requirements relating to capacity, stability and stackability. What is more, a pouring element also has to be capable of being produced without any problems and at low cost. This is an additional way in which the opportunities for configuring the pouring elements are limited.